Aster › Space program › Antares
Antares
Position on the route: 155/181 · level needed 2420 · journey (Mk0 engine) 408.8 h
By the numbers
| Distance | ≈ 550 light-years |
|---|---|
| Radius | ≈ 700 Suns |
| Type | red supergiant |
| Companion | Antares B |
The story
Antares is the heart of Scorpius and one of the brightest stars in the sky. Its name in Greek means ‘rival of Ares’ (Mars): its red matches the planet. About 550 light-years away, its radius is about 700 times the Sun’s; in the Sun’s place it would reach beyond the orbit of Mars.
Its density is thousands of times below that of air: a very thin ball of gas. It has a small blue companion (Antares B), hard to see in the red star’s glare. One day it will explode as a supernova.
Missions
- Hubble: the image of the companion
- VLTI: a map of the flows in its atmosphere
Colony note
No surface; a very distant, heavily shielded station.
☠ A red supergiant: no surface, and it would reach past the orbit of Mars. Only a very distant station.
What probes bring back
- About 550 light-years away: the heart of Scorpius. A red supergiant with a radius some 700 times the Sun’s: in the Sun’s place it would reach beyond the orbit of Mars.
- Its name means ‘rival of Mars’ because its red colour matches that planet. One day it will explode as a supernova; it has a small blue companion.